


Belle's Library

by lumiereandcogsworth



Series: sweet moments [3]
Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Cute, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Late at Night, Night owls, Reading, adam thinks thats really cute, belle loves reading, sweet moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-14 22:46:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18485989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumiereandcogsworth/pseuds/lumiereandcogsworth
Summary: Half past midnight, the intricately designed clock read him. He raised his eyebrows, not at all realizing how late it had become. Gently, the prince folded the book in his lap closed. Belle didn’t seem to notice, she was deep into her novel, turning page after page with silent yet obvious enthusiasm.





	Belle's Library

Adam and Belle sat together on the sofa in the library, bodies leaning gently on one another, a book in each lap. The room was filled with the couple’s comfortable silence. Belle had her legs bent to the side of her in her seat, she was resting her cheek on Adam’s shoulder. Her brown eyes were focused on the novel in front of her. Pages turning fast, her mind drinking in all the detail it illustrated. Adam, too, was enthralled in the hardcover set in his hands, but he was losing the ability to keep his eyes open. His head was resting on the top of Belle’s, and he was sure he’d fall fast asleep if he didn’t get up in that moment. It was shocking, him feeling tired before Belle. He was the night owl of the relationship, she was the early bird. For whatever reason, however, this night had grabbed a hold of him first. Adam lifted his head off of Belle’s, his neck feeling rather stiff as it had been in that position for more time than he’d realized. He stuffed his hand in his waistcoat pocket, fishing for his pocket watch. Half past midnight, the intricately designed clock read him. He raised his eyebrows, not at all realizing how late it had become. Gently, the prince folded the book in his lap closed. Belle didn’t seem to notice, she was deep into her novel, turning page after page with silent yet obvious enthusiasm. Adam glanced down at her with a half-smile, dearly admiring her love for literature. He began to shift away from her, swiftly starting to rise from their ever-so comfortable position. Belle leaned away from him, eyes still glued to her book. Adam got to his feet and chuckled at her this time, adjusting his garment and impressed by her focus. 

“Belle,” he said, softly putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s half past midnight, time for bed, hm?” Belle looked up to Adam rather suddenly, like she’d just been jolted awake from a dream in which she was falling. 

“What? Oh, um, sorry, love, why don’t you just go on without me? I’m nearly finished.” The book, in fact, had 214 pages left, but anyone who knew Belle knew that would indeed take her no time at all. Still, the prince tried to get his Belle to join him in slumber, which they both so clearly needed. 

“Are you sure?” Adam asked, though Belle’s attention had already returned to the book. When he received no answer, he chuckled once more. He found her passion so endearing, he almost began to feel apologetic for continuing the conversation any further. “Belle?” 

“Huh? Yes, yes, please, I don’t want to keep you up, love. I’ll be there soon,” Belle said in a rushed yet sincere tone, looking back up at Adam with her tired brown eyes. 

“Alright,” Adam shrugged with a smile. “Could I at least get a kiss goodnight?” He leaned down toward her, putting a hand gently to her chin. Belle smiled, actually being broken from her novel for the first time in the entire conversation. 

“Of course,” Belle whispered just before her lips met his in a sweet moment. 

“Goodnight, love,” Adam said as he pulled away, standing upright. 

“Goodnight,” Belle said, still wearing an endearing love-struck grin on her face as Adam smiled and turned, quietly leaving the library completely to Belle’s command. 

 

Hours into the night, Adam woke up, rather restlessly. He had managed to fall in and out of sleep for the last few hours. Perhaps he still  _ was _ the night owl. He turned to his right and reached out his arm, only to find that side of the bed was still empty. Belle hadn’t returned from the library yet, it seemed. Adam scowled and sat up, rubbing his eyes before grabbing the clock on his night stand and angling it toward the dimmed moonlight that crept into the chambers. 

“Quarter past four? Where is she?” He muttered to himself, groggily throwing the duvet off of his body and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He slid his feet into his slippers on the floor and threw his robe over his shoulders. Next he lit a candle, a bit of a challenge in the pale moonlight, but nothing he hadn’t attempted before. He swiftly exited his chambers and down the stairs of the west wing, heading straight for the library where he had left her. Surely she was still reading the book. It seemed about the time it would take her to finish the remainder of it. More than anything, Adam was just impressed she’d managed to stay awake the entire night, just for one novel. He loved reading too, but his body just simply wouldn’t let him keep reading so late into the night like this.  _ She must simply be superior,  _ he mused, opening the door to the library. When he reached the sofa they’d shared only hours earlier, he found a truly superior being indeed. 

Belle was curled up, head bent awkwardly on the arm of the sofa, book opened flat on her leg, with no one reading it any longer. She had fallen asleep, and for whatever reason, she looked incredibly comfortable. Adam smiled at her, very much in love with her effort, to say the least. He stepped over to her, placing the candle on the wooden coffee table in front of the sofa. He debated whether or not to wake her, and ultimately decided that disturbing her peaceful self would be absurd. The prince gently lifted the book from her leg, quickly analyzing the remainder of it in the candlelight. There seemed to be only about 50 pages left- she was so close! Adam smiled to himself, putting the short, yellow ribbon that was strewn along the surface of the table in the fold of the book, and promptly closed it. He then grabbed the throw blanket that had been residing over the back of the sofa and laid it on Belle, making sure it covered her from her feet to her shoulders. He grinned at how sweetly she slept, selfishly wishing she was sleeping that way in his arms back in the west wing. Nonetheless, he kissed her on the head and quietly took his candle, leaving the library to her mighty command once more. 


End file.
